Root salutes his mentor Thorpe

JOE Root hopes England and New Zealand can provide a "humdinger" of a series in honour of the late Graham Thorpe and Kiwi great Martin Crowe.

- RORY DOLLARD

The teams will compete over the next three Tests for ownership of the newly-minted Crowe-Thorpe Trophy, fashioned out of wood taken from bats belonging to the pair.

Thorpe took his own life earlier this year after a long battle with depression, while Crowe died in 2016 due to cancer. The duo scored 33 Test centuries between them and have now been remembered in a collaboration between the England and Wales Cricket Board and New Zealand Cricket.

Root, who worked closely with Thorpe during his coaching career at the ECB and counted him as a close friend and mentor, welcomed the news.

"I think it's amazing, a really nice way to celebrate two greats from each nation," he said.